Keyhole-illuminating device.



G. EYTON.

KEYHOLB ILLUMINATING DEVICE.

' APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 1910.

Patented Sept. 20, 1910.

r the risk of CHARLES EY'ION, 01 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

- KEYHOLE-ILLUMINATING DEVICE.

Speciilcation or Iietters ratent. Patented Sept. 20, 1910.

Application filed June 2, 1910. Serial No. 564,695.

To alt whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES EYTON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residin at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Ange es, State of California, have invented a certainnew and useful Keyhole-Illuminating Device and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap ertains to make and use the same.

'Fhis invention relates to a keyhole illuminating device, being primarily intended to be applied to the front, or street, doors of houses, cottages or otherresidences. w

The invention has. -for an object to provide an electric illuminating device whereby the ke hole in a 'door may be illuminated at wili and in which the electric current may be switched on and oil with a minimum of trouble.

Another object of the invention 1s t o pro- 'vide an arrangement of parts which 1s simple and easily applied to a door" and inwhich the 1am or illuminating device proper is locate in a position to minimize its being broken or damaged in any way.

The invention may be 'said to consist essentially of the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts whereby the above mentioned objects are attained, as will appear from the description herinafter, and as particularly pointed out the clalms.

Forms of construction embodying the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which 1 I Figure 1 is an edge view of a portion of a door having the invention applied thereto; parts being broken away to more fully show the inventlon. Fig. 2 is a front view thereof, and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a door knob, showing a slightly modified form of construction embodying the invention.

1 indicates the portion of a-door in which the locking means, the bolt whereof is indi cated at 2, Fi 1, is located; the keyhole being indicat at 3, Fig. 2, and the door plate or escutcheon at 3'. The door'proper and thev locking means may be of any approved or-desired type as they form no part of this invention.

In order that a erson may be able to locate the keyhole a or dark and insert the key therein without any trouble, an illuminating device is provided whereby the keyhole may be illuminated, such illuminating device being preferably arranged to be electrically operated. As here shown the illuminating device may comprise a small electric lamp 4 located adjacent to the keyhole.

To minimize the risk of injury to lamp 4 'and at the same time to cause the rays of light to strike the keyhole at an angle so that the latter may be more readily located the lamp 4 may, as shown, be located on the inner portion of the outer door handle or knob 5, the inner knob being indicated at 5'; in which position, as will be readily seen, it will be protected by the knob from injury.

Suitable means may be provided for supplying electricity when desired to the lamp 4. To render the use of long conducting wires unnecessary and to make the device compact the door knob is preferably hollow and an electric battery, indicated at 6, is located therein; an insulating covering 7 bein referably placed over the battery and suita e electrica connections being provided between the battery and the lamp 4. As here shown one of the terminals 8 of the battery may be in the form of a spring contact member which engages with a second contact member 9 formin one of the terminals of the lamp 4. T e other terminal of the lamp 4 may be formed as usual by the threaded part 10 thereon. Electrical connection between part 10 and the other terminal of the battery may be efiected as follows. The part 10, which carries the lamp 4, is threaded into the socket 11 secured to the door knob in a manner to brain electrical contact therewith A push button 12 may be mounted in the outer face of the knob and is adapted when pushed inwardly to make contact with the terminal, indicated at 13 of the battery. Springs 14, secured on the inside of the knob, normally hold the push button away from the terminal, such springs bein in electrical connection with the knob an bearing against an enlarged portion 15 of the button so that by this means the ush button is always in contact with the ob and forms a switch by which the current may be supplied at will to the lamp 4. When the swltch is closed a circuit 1s closed throu h battery terminal 8, light terminals 9 an 10, knob 5, and button 12 to terminal 13.

The advantages of the above arrangement of parts as respects convenience of operation will be apparent, while at the same time the applicationof the inventionto a'door already in'use will be rendered very easy as none of the parts thereof will have to be changed with the exception of the knob which can bev readily removed from the shank 1G and a knob provided with the illuminating device secured in its place.

To permit of the parts being easily revmoved when necessary as in case of renewal, the knob may be formed in two parts.

joined together by the-threaded connection 17, a screw 18 being provided to lock the parts against rotation relatively to one another.

In Fig. 3 a slightly modified form of construction is illustrated in which the lamp 4 is located entirely within the knob, the battery 6 being of sufficiently small cross sec-- tion to permit of the bulb being mounted inside the knob. The socket 10 may be secured to the knob in any desired manner as by the bracket 21. An opening 19, which may be closed. by a plate 20- of glass or other transparent material, is provided in the knob adjacent to the lamp 4 to admit of the light from the latter reaching the keyhole.

It will be evident of-course that various changes and modifications might be made in the construction illustrated and the right is therefore reserved ,to all such changes and modifications as do not depart from the adjacent thereto and in contact therewith.

2. In combination with a door lock having a keyhole thereinand a hollow metallic mountedonthe door knob, an electric battery disposed in the door knob and having a pair of terminals, an insulating covering on said battery, a resilient contact member forming one of the terminals of the illumidoor knob, an electric illuminating device,

nating device and disposed adjacent to and in contact with one of the battery terminals, a threaded part forming one ofthe other terminals'iof the illuminating device, a socketinto'which. said part is threaded, said socket being in electrlcal connection with the door knob, and a push button located adjacent to the other battery terminal and:

in electrical connection with the door knob.

3. In combination with a door lock having a ke hole therein, a hollow metallic door kno provided with glass covered aperture, an electricilluminatingdevice disposed within the doorknob adjacent to the aperture, an electric battery, disposed in the door knob" and havin a pair of terminals, a

resilient contact mem er forming one of the terminals of the illuminating device and disposed adjacent to and in contact with one ofthe battery terminals, a threaded part forming one of the terminals of theilluminating device, a socket into which said part is threaded, said socket bein in electrical connection with the door kno and a push button located adjacent to the other battery terminal and in electrical connection with the door knob.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name. to this specificationinthe presence of two subscribing witnesses at Los Angeles, in

the county of Los An eles, State of California, this 28th day 0 May A, D. 1910;

i GI-IARLES EYTON.

v Witnesses: HARRY A. BROOKS, ALEX CURRIE. 

